San Francisco Giants: Is Drew Pomeranz now a legitimate trade chip?

Contenders are exploring all avenues in a slow-moving trade market. According to a recent report, San Francisco Giants starter-turned-reliever Drew Pomeranz is generating interest.

When the San Francisco Giants promoted prospect Conner Menez to make his MLB debut earlier this month, left-hander Drew Pomeranz was ousted from the rotation and moved to the bullpen.

After posting a 6.10 ERA in 17 starts, he has been extremely sharp since shifting to a relief role, allowing just one hit and one walk with six strikeouts in 4.1 scoreless innings over his first three appearances out of the bullpen.

With a relief corps that is already overloaded with talent, could the Giants flip the big left-hander for a player who can help out immediately at another area of need?

The front office too a chance on Pomeranz as a bounce-back candidate during the offseason, signing him to a one-year, $1.5 million deal in hopes he could return to his 2016 and 2017 form.

Instead, he is now filling the long relief role that was vacated when Derek Holland was designated for assignment and then traded to the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.

His success so far out of the bullpen has come in an extremely small sample size, but it’s been promising enough to garner interest from prospective buyers:

The Giants already have one of the best bullpens in baseball, so losing someone like Pomeranz would have very little impact on their outlook going forward. In addition, it could help the Giants obtain an MLB-ready piece that can help them now, without having to buy in the traditional sense.

Contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals all have a clear need for bullpen help, though they may aim a bit higher in their initial pursuit. However, depending on how the big chips fall, he could be a valuable addition to a number of teams as a bullpen option and starting pitching depth.

The Giants are not going to get a huge return, but really anything of value they can squeeze out of a player who was signed for next to nothing during the offseason and who struggled for much of the year would be a win.

Pomeranz likely does not factor into the team’s plans beyond this year, so turning him into a controllable asset of any sort or a piece that provide short-term help in another area of need is a no-brainer if the opportunity presents itself.

If the Marcus Stroman trade is any indication, we’re in for quite a few surprises in the days to come before the trade deadline passes on July 31 at 4 p.m. ET.

If the San Francisco Giants can find a contender desperate enough for pitching help to offer up something of value for Drew Pomeranz, they should pull the trigger and nothing think twice. There’s plenty of depth in the organization to fill his spot in the bullpen.